WDR director Tom Buhrow is not seeking a third term in office and is quitting early. The 65-year-old will hand over the management at the end of 2024, the public broadcaster announced on Tuesday in Cologne. Buhrow has been director of the largest ARD station, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), since summer 2013. Before that he was millions than Topics of the day-Moderator known. His second term as station director began in July 2019 and actually lasts until the end of June 2025. Buhrow is quitting six months earlier.
The WDR announcement stated that Buhrow wanted to enable a smooth transition until the start of the new contribution period from 2025. The current contribution period, in which households pay a monthly broadcasting fee of 18.36 euros, lasts until the end of 2024. This means that a new station manager will be elected at WDR next year. The election will also be followed with great attention because WDR holds an important position of power within the ARD structure simply due to its size.
As WDR director, Buhrow was also ARD chairman in 2020 and 2021, and stepped in again in 2022 after Patricia Schlesinger resigned from the position. At WDR, the director is elected for six years. Its control body, the Broadcasting Council, is responsible for the staffing.